Description
Visual approaches have long dominated in astronomy. This may not be so surprising - astronomy has produced some of the most scientifically rich and stunning imagery humanity has. However, as astronomy becomes more data intensive, with the volume and complexity (e.g. multi-dimensionality) of data exploding in recent years, traditional visual inspection methods have become increasingly untenable, with ever more ceded to complex machine-based approaches which can be difficult to interpret or verify.
What's more, reliance on visuals excludes people who are blind or have low vision, and does not cater to those with different sensory preferences or learning styles. Educational research shows a multisensory approach can help reinforce learning more generally for better learning outcomes. By making use of the strengths of our diverse senses, we may develop new and powerful multi-dimensional interfaces with the data across a range of levels, and even gain new perspectives to discover ‘unknown-unknowns’ in the data.
This poster will contain examples of sonification and tactile representation of astronomical data for research and public engagement.
